We all have our favorite line. We all have our favorite scene. We would all add it to the list of our favorite movies of all time. The 1993 family movie Mrs. Doubtfire is still one of the best comedies that will warm your heart then make you laugh until you can’t breathe. For actress Lisa Jakub, it was a dream for a fourteen-year-old to be on set with actors Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, and Robin Williams. Help is on the way, dear, to see what Lisa’s been up to since starring in one of the most memorable comedies of the 90s that still holds up today.
Background info
In Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the almost-Christmas baby Lisa Jakub was born on December 27th, 1978. She attended Hillfield Strathallan College in Ontario for 9th grade before later obtaining her GED. Lisa graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Sociology.
A fun fact is that Jakub was expelled from that school in Canada while filming Mrs. Doubtfire due to her accrued absences. Robin Williams personally wrote to the school to ask that she be re-admitted, but they had the audacity to say no to Williams (while framing and hanging the letter in the school office) and she instead got her GED.
Acting career
Lisa’s first time on screen was in the 1985 film Eleni starring John Malkovich, where she portrayed the character of Katis’ granddaughter. Not bad for a child who wasn’t quite seven years old.
For the rest of the 80s, Lisa appeared in an episode here and there in TV shows like Kay O’Brien, Friday the 13th: The Series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Twilight Zone.
She also went the TV film route, starring in the crime drama The Right of the People and the drama Christmas Eve in 1986, the 1988 comedy Once Upon a Giant, and the comedy Glory! Glory! and thriller The Phone Call in 1989.
In the 90s, Lisa went back to the big screen, starring as Doll in the 1991 drama Rambling Rose with Robert Duvall and Laura Dern. In 1993 she acted alongside John Goodman and Cathy Moriarty in the comedy Matinee. Her next role would be the one that she will always be known for.
Mrs. Doubtfire
In 1993 Lisa landed a child’s dream job acting with the great Robin Williams, the charming Pierce Brosnan, and the stunning Sally Field in the Chris Columbus directed comedy Mrs. Doubtfire. The movie went on to win an Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Picture and Best Actor for Williams, and was the second-highest-grossing film of the year.
If you are the one person who hasn’t watched the film dozens of times, the movie is about a divorced dad (Williams) who dresses as an old British nanny to see his children after the divorce from his wife (Field). Comedic gold ensues, yet the film has so many moments of pure heart that you forgive it for making you cry in between the non-stop one-liners and hilarious scenes.
Lisa was cast as Lydia Hillard, the oldest child to Daniel Hillard (Williams) and Miranda Hillard (Field). She brought the protective older sibling attitude and wasn’t afraid to let the adults know what the kids felt about things.
What did Lisa do after Mrs. Doubtfire?
After that film, Lisa went back to appearing in TV movies, like the 1994 drama A Child’s Cry for Help and Fight for Justice: The Nancy Conn Story, and the comedy Picture Perfect in 1995. In 1996 Jakub was in TV films Bermuda Triangle and Reckoning.
But she then grabbed a role in the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day as Randy Quaid’s on-screen daughter Alicia Casse. The movie starred Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Mary McDonnell, and Jeff Goldblum, and went on to become the highest-grossing movie in 1996. Teenage Lisa really had quite an impressive resume by that point.
After Independence Day, Jakub starred in a few more feature movies to end the 90s, and a lot more TV movies. Her last time on screen was in 2020 when she portrayed Isabel in the TV historical drama film The Royal Diaries: Isabel – Jewel of Castilla and as Tara in the feature crime film Double Frame.
What is Lisa doing now?
By the young age of only 22, Lisa was ready to walk away from acting. Despite a solid career, the limelight shone a bit too brightly. Jakub dealt with anxiety and depression, and she wanted to quit before it got the better of her, like it has so many young actors.
These days she’s an advocate and author,
To help others in similar situations with their anxiety, Lisa became a mental wellness advocate and public speaker, as well as teaching yoga and meditation classes. You could have Lisa speak at your function, or go to her and watch her speak. She has also published three books on mental wellness in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
She started Blue Mala, a pay-what-you-can mental wellness membership site.
While the passing of Robin Williams in 2014 leaves a mark we still feel to this day, some of the cast was able to reunite for the 25th anniversary of Mrs. Doubtfire in 2018. The actors that played the three Hillard children, Mara Wilson and Matthew Lawrence, plus Pierce Brosnan got together for the first time since the movie wrapped to dish on old times.
Lisa also has a Cameo, though she’s taking a little break right now. You could see what Lisa’s up to on her personal Instagram page.
Personal life
Lisa has been married to husband Jeremy Jones since 2005. Jones was a Hollywood theatre manager, and the pair had been best friends before they were married. The couple chose not to have human children, but they have four-legged furry doggos they spoil just the same.
While we know we won’t see Lydia – we mean Lisa – on screen again, we hope to see more of the cast reunite for the 30th anniversary of Mrs. Doubtfire this year. If not, we’ll make a wicked cup of cocoa and give Mrs. Doubtfire another run-by fruiting
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